Random delay before sending
The Delay command makes Wazzap wait a random amount of time before pushing a message out the door. Stacked replies stop arriving in the same millisecond, automations breathe, and your number looks far less like a bot to WhatsApp's anti-spam.
Overview
When a workflow fires three or four messages back-to-back, every reply lands within the same second. That timing fingerprint is one of the easiest ways for Meta to spot automation. The Delay command lets you scatter those sends across a realistic window so each message feels typed, not triggered.
Pair Delay with Spintax and warmed numbers. Spintax varies the text, Delay varies the timing, warming sets the identity. Together they form the cleanest anti-ban baseline.
Command syntax
Append the command at the very end of the message you want to delay:
<Your message here> !/DELAY/X/Y/!- X minimum delay, in milliseconds.
- Y maximum delay, in milliseconds.
- 1000 milliseconds = 1 second. Use whole integers only.
How it works
- Write the message exactly as you want the recipient to read it.
- At the end of the message, append
!/DELAY/X/Y/!. - Wazzap picks a random integer between X and Y and waits that long before dispatching.
- The delay applies to this message only. Add the command to every message in a sequence if you want each one to be delayed.
Examples
Example 1, conversational reply
Hello, how are you? !/DELAY/1000/6000/!Wazzap waits a random time between 1 and 6 seconds before sending.
Example 2, promo blast
We have a new promotion for you! !/DELAY/2000/5000/!Wazzap waits a random time between 2 and 5 seconds before sending.
Example 3, follow-up sequence
Hey, did you get a chance to look at the proposal? !/DELAY/3000/9000/!Wider windows (3 to 9 seconds) work well for follow-ups where you want the reply to feel like a human had to put down their coffee first.
Best practices
- Always place the command at the very end of the message. Anything after it gets included in the dispatched text.
- Use realistic windows. For replies, 1000 to 6000 ms feels natural. For cold outreach openers, 3000 to 10000 ms works better.
- Vary your windows across messages in the same sequence. Same delay range on every message creates its own pattern.
- Combine with Spintax for full pattern-breaking on bulk sends.
Important notes
- Values must be in milliseconds.
5means 5 ms, not 5 seconds. - Both X and Y must be integers.
- X must be smaller than Y. If you flip them, the message may go out instantly without delay.
- If the command is malformed or not at the end, Wazzap sends the message immediately and
the raw
!/DELAY/.../!text may leak into the chat. - The command applies per message, not per workflow.
Like every Wazzap command, Delay must be sent from your CRM's Conversations tab (HighLevel, for example, via the native integration) or a workflow action. Typing it from the WhatsApp app on your phone won't process the syntax.
Troubleshooting
The message went out instantly, no delay
Usually means the command was placed mid-message or the numbers aren't integers. Move
!/DELAY/X/Y/! to the very end, and confirm both X and Y are plain whole numbers
with no decimals, spaces, or extra characters.
The !/DELAY/.../! string appears in the chat
Wazzap didn't recognize the syntax, so it shipped the literal text. Double-check the slashes
and make sure you wrapped the command exactly as !/DELAY/1000/6000/! with two
slashes around DELAY and one slash between each number.
Some messages delay, others don't
The Delay command is per message. If a workflow has five steps and only two
include the command, only those two are delayed. Add !/DELAY/X/Y/! to every step
where you want a pause.
Combine with the rest of the message commands to shape exactly how each automation fires, including internal notes, agent attribution and transcriptions.